Three Kisses Seal the Deal
by Kaoruhana
Summary: The annual July 4th Family Vacation is usually spent with Kaoru teasing and joking around with her cousins, and helping others escape the scheming mamas. This year, tables turn when Aoshi brings his redhead friend over in his own version of a convoluted matchmaking scheme.


**A/N: **This story is a result of my muse and the fact that now all my cousins are married, every single aunt in my family is suddenly looking at me (the next person in line I guess) with those awkward, meddlesome eyes.

A few notes:  
1- I chose this story to take place in NC cause I'm from there. We can assume Kaoru works at UNC (Chapel Hill). Any questions about locations and such can be addressed to me and I'll try my best to answer them.  
2- There's an author out there named "Talentless Hack" who wrote a wonderful story called "Captain Miserable meets the Greener Grass." In that story, there's an AN that tells us a lot about Tokio Takagi: who she was, her actual name (Sada as it turns out) and a lot of other things. This author made Sada (aka Tokio's real alias) into her younger sister. I liked the idea of making this "Sada" Tokio's younger sister and did a bit of research. So, the end point: the original idea of making someone like Sada into a character (who is named Maya in my story) is not new. What is new is the way I portrayed this girl compared to the other character in "Captain Miserable..." So, I got the sister idea from that story but everything else is different. Respect for the real Tokio Takagi is also what prompted me to change her last name. Something just didn't sit right with me if I used her real name.  
3- If you are from the US- Happy Fourth of July :) If you don't, well happy weekend :)

Enjoy!

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**Three Kisses Seal the Deal**

Kaoru looked at the door of the mansion that she was to enter. It was the door to the Kamiya-Shinomori family vacation home and led into a place that held numerous memories. This house and its grounds was where she learned to swing on a tire swing, caught fireflies on warm North Carolina summer nights, and more than once, got into fights with her cousins. She hesitated at the threshold of the house this time though because she knew what was on the other side. She loved her family and was always there for them when they needed her but, she was also a grown woman. A grown woman who was still single, unattached, and of marriageable age.

Her aunts had a field day with this information much to her chagrin and, considering that of all of her female cousins, one had decided to never get married and the other three fell for men who were successful but eccentric, all hopes of getting a suitable young man into the house fell on her shoulders. Added to it was the fact that of the four young males, the mothers and aunts were sure only one of them would give them the grandchildren they desired.

In a nutshell, her family was going to let her leave only after they somehow found her a suitable man to date. She couldn't necessarily fault them for it but she did wish that someone would have children again or that Tokio would pop out the baby soon. That would keep the mothers off her backs for a bit at least.

She rang the doorbell and waited. She was the last to arrive even though she was one of the few who lived the closest. This was because of the fact that the others had applied vacations and flown in yesterday while she had gone home from work, packed her bags, and driven up here in the morning. The two hour drive was just what she needed to relax and think about her family reunion. Tokio was bringing her husband and Tae hers. Sae was going to be there as well with her two daughters. She had heard that Megumi was bringing her boyfriend to meet the family again and that Aoshi was bringing a friend. For her sake, she hoped that the friend was female and that the mothers would be too distracted fussing over him to care about her.

Kaoru heard heavy footfalls on the other side of the door followed by a reprimand told in a stern but lyrical tone. It must be Saito and Tokio who were answering the door then.

"Kaoru." Saito's stern face set in his perpetual frown greeted her. She didn't mind. Of all her cousins, she was closest to Megumi and Tokio. Tokio lived in Durham, close to where she was and she had interacted with her and Saito more than once.

"Saito-san." She greeted back as she stepped inside.

Out of the six female cousins, Tokio was the only one to marry a Japanese man Saito had come to the United States when he was twelve with his family. In university, he chose to pursue a degree relating to the realm of national security. Tokio had always been interested in politics and had gone to the nation's capital for her higher education. They had met in university when they took a class together and had been together ever since. She thought they were good for each other, and despite what the rest of her family thought, knew that Saito cared quite a bit for his wife.

"Kaoru!" Tokio peered from behind the form of her tall husband and opened her arms for a hug. "Everyone's outside in the backyard. Soujiro and Uncle Koji are bent on making a Texas barbecue. We should take you there." The younger cousin nodded as Tokio reached forward to take one of the two duffel bags that she had packed.

"Oh no you don't." Saito snatched the bag from her hands and pointed to the backyard. "Not in your condition." Kaoru had to stifle her laughter when she saw the anger on her cousin's face and the unrelenting glare that Saito was leveling at her. Finally, Tokio gave in and shooed him away, with a pout on her face.

"It's not fair." She told Kaoru as she gathered her sundress together and sniffed at the male haughtily. "It's only been three months since we found out- what do you think he'll be like when I'm actually showing?"

"Much stricter." Her husband promised a hand going down to her back. "Now go- you should sit in the shade and take the kids off Sae-san's hands. Practice you know?" Tokio's anger softened and she smiled, giving Saito a kiss on the cheek before making her way down the hall and to the backyard.

The family home was built by Kaoru's great great grandfather who had been a shipping magnate in Japan. He had moved to the United States to do business and decided to stay in the country. The shipping empire had been passed down from first born son to first born son for two generations until her grandfather had sought to expand it. Now, the Japanese American shipping giant was based in three cities: Boston, Houston, and Los Angeles.

Her father- the last of three siblings- oversaw the Houston portion of the company. Her father's eldest sister- Kamiya (now Tachibana) Mika had married the then to be CFO of the company and settled in the area the company was headquartered- California. Her father's other sister- still older than him by two years- had married a Takani Haru from a prominent east coast shipping family and both had settled down in Boston to oversee the Eastern portion of the business. As a result, her father had been left with the Houston section and had raised his family there.

Her mother's family on the other hand, were known for their tea. She was raised in San Francisco and had gone to Berkeley where she had met her father. After graduating, her mother had settled for being a homemaker, and it was her uncle Hiko who oversaw the family business. Which suited the family just fine- her mother was a coffee addict who abhorred the idea of working in a big corporation. Her uncle meanwhile was suited just fine for the business world.

Kaoru came from a wealthy background but she and her cousins hadn't been raised that way. They could afford the best education and high end clothing but they never flaunted their wealth. And they were always together- through thick and thin-because they had been raised to value family over money. This yearly meeting had started because her mother couldn't part from her brother for the holidays and her father couldn't fathom spending a Christmas away from the mansion. So, her grandfather had settled the issue by inviting the Shinomori's over for Christmas. He had died years ago along with her other grandparents but by then, the tradition had stuck and it was cemented in stone. No member of the combined family ever spent the holidays or the Fourth of July weekend anywhere but here.

"You're in a room with Maya-chan and Megumi-san." Saito stated taking her up to the third floor. The ten bedroom house was built to hold large family gatherings with two sets of bedrooms on the second and third floors of the house. At the time of construction, it had seemed overreaching but now, it was perfect for the family reunions.

"We get the blue room?" Kaoru asked as Saito moved aside and opened a familiar door.

Years ago, her grandmother had designed each of the five bedrooms (on both floors) in different colors to make it easier to differentiate between them. As a child Kaoru had loved the yellow and green rooms but now the blue and white rooms held more appeal. The pink room was always the last on her list mostly because it had a bright floral motif that didn't appeal to her.

"Hn. The children chose to stay in the pink room with Sae-san. Megumi-san chose this one." Kaoru made a note to thank her cousin later and placed her bags in the closet with Saito's help. The cousins all had to share beds- queen or king depending on the room- so, she didn't feel the need to do anything else. Turning back to the male with her she grinned and made her way out the door.

"Do you know what else we're having for lunch? I mean, I love it when my dad and Sou make barbecue but I skipped breakfast today."

"You shouldn't skip meals." Saito replied as he followed her down the stairs and towards the backyard. "But I believe sweet potato fries and various salads have been prepared." Kaoru smiled as she opened the door to the backyard. In spite of the mean demeanor Saito showed, he was a brotherly figure. He along with her two older male cousins (and sometimes Soujiro and Morinosuke) teased her and watched over as protectors. It was kind of cute when they didn't get on her nerves. And Saito's way of still addressing everyone by their Japanese suffixes endeared him to all the females in the family.

"Kaoru!" The young woman was glomped into a hug by her twin brother and she returned his greeting by placing a sloppy and loud kiss on his cheek.

"Sou! Where's the food?" Her brother grabbed her hand and led her away from Saito who was walking towards his wife as she lounged under a tree. He was taking her to the grills! Kaoru's mouth watered at the smell coming from the location.

"Food's here." The blue eyed male handed her a paper plate and a napkin before waving people over.

As Kaoru piled her plate with food, a hand snuck around and stole a few fries. She recognized the silver watch on that hand and turned around to playfully stick her tongue out at Morinosuke. As the only cousin close enough in age to both Kaoru and her twin, he was the one she was most comfortable teasing. He grinned and made a show of eating the fries slowly to aggravate her. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a fork and took a seat at one of the three tables dotting the deck. Before she could take a seat though, arms wound around her from behind and her oldest male cousin began to tickle her sides.

"Kamatari!" She squealed catching the attention of the rest of the family present. Sou took her plate and set it down on the table as Kamatari let her go. "Kamatari- I'll get you back for that!" Her hands on her hips, Kaoru resembled the little four year old from years ago who would glare at the ten year old cousin and promise retribution.

"Oh – you know that's how I greet you." The elder male teased as he led her to the table. "Besides- someone has to make sure you're not wearing those ratty ripped jeans of yours."

"A phase- that's what it was." Kaoru stated dipping a fry in ketchup and eating it. "Besides," she swallowed, "not everyone is as perfectly groomed as you." Her cousin sighed as he shook his head and leaned his elbow on the table.

"Whatever Kaoru. Tell me, how has my athletic female cousin been these past few months? Heard you got yourself a job as an intern placer?"

"Not intern placer. Internship coordinator. I work with kids from the university and get them internships in and around North Carolina based on what their majors are." She took a bite of salad this time. "What about you? How are you and Shishio doing?"

Of all her cousins, Kamatari was the one who was homosexual. When he had come out five years ago at Christmas, his boyfriend had been there as emotional support. The family was accepting of him but it took a while for them to figure out that by introducing Shishio, Kamatari had not only come out, he had introduced his partner as well. The two of them had opened a bakery in San Francisco that was popular with the locals. As a result, while both Kamatari and Shishio often came together for Christmas, during the summer only Kamatari showed up.

"Good. Ever since we took in his sister's kid it's been a little different. I mean- Tsubame's a joy to be around and she helps a lot you know? It's just… it's taken a while for us to adjust our lives to include her. And Shishio's worried about her. He thinks that she's not grieved enough." The male shrugged. "Honestly, I just like having someone younger in the house. It's kind of nice." Kaoru raised an eyebrow as she ate another fry. Kamatari took one as well when she offered.

"Are you saying you want kids?" She asked as she flagged down Morinosuke for a drink. "Heaven forbid you tell that to Mama or Aunt Ayu." Kamatari made a face as Morinosuke sat down next to them and gave Kaoru the sweet tea she wanted.

"How do you drink that stuff?" Morinosuke asked making a face and haughtily turning away from her. "It looks like coke but tastes like sugar water."

"Mori dear this is an acquired taste. Of course that's why only refined people like your sister and I enjoy it." Mori rolled his eyes and made room for his youngest sister who had come to greet Kaoru. Maya was currently enjoying the weekend away from her internship in Atlanta.

"Kaoru! How was your drive?"

Maya being the youngest was the most spoiled of the group of cousins. Not that anyone minded. She sometimes complained that her age put her at a disadvantage since more than half her cousins were much older than her. No one paid attention to that. They paid attention to other things such as the fact that she was the prettiest of the girls. While all the girls were pretty in their own way, next to Maya they all seemed dull. She had Megumi, Tae, and Sae's height, Kaoru's athletic physique, and Tokio's elegant grace. As a result, her male cousins often looked out for her (not that she needed it but she humored them for the sake of things) and her female cousins teased her, sometimes with a bit of envy.

"The drive was nice." Kaoru admitted glancing around the picnic. "Have you been here a while Maya? Care to tell me where everyone is?"

"Like you don't know." Kamatari stated nudging her. Kaoru gave him a mock glare as Maya answered.

"Oh- Sae's with Tokio and Saito. Aya and Suzu are in the sandbox." Kaoru narrowed her eyes and squinted. The sandbox had been built by her grandfather for Kamatari, the twins (Sae and Tae), and Tokio. At the time, they were the only grandchildren. Then the rest of the lot came and the sandbox area soon became littered with a mini-playground set: a slide and two swings, a set of monkey bars, and on the large cluster of oaks a short distance away, a treehouse.

"They seem to be having fun."

"They're the only kids with a huge playground to themselves. Of course they're happy- they didn't have to fight for stuff like we did." Mori stole a few more fries as he finished speaking.

"Yeah yeah- where's Megumi and Tae? And speaking of which," she turned to Kamatari, "where are our mothers?" Kamatari shuffled uncomfortably and Mori gulped. Maya seemed a little hesitant to say anything but finally spilled the beans at Kaoru's stare.

"Tae announced she's going to open a restaurant this morning at breakfast. As for Megumi- she and Sano apparently decided last week that they wanted to announce their engagement when the whole family was gathered. The mothers took the two girls out to celebrate, except in Tae's case it's also to persuade her to not put her family planning on hold." Kaoru nodded before another thought took over. She hadn't seen Aoshi or her uncles and father around.

"You!" She rounded on Kamatari who looked back at her with a wary expression. "I understand Sou being here and maybe Mori but you? Why aren't you there to stop the men from terrorizing Sano? I mean-" she bit into a fry, "the guys decent for Meg you know? I don't want her too upset if they tear into him."

"Relax Kaoru." Mori stated as she took a sip of her drink. "Aoshi and his friend went with them. And they only went to the pond to fish." Kaoru sighed. Well that was better than nothing.

When her great great grandfather had built the house, he had bought five acres of land- an acre for the house, backyard, gardens, and garage- and the other four just because he could. The pond sat a ten minute walk away in their huge lot. According to her father they used to have a stable on the lot as well but her grandfather had sold the horses and the stable had been demolished. Now, there was a fire pit there for the camping nights that she had indulged in as a teenager and the firework shows her cousins put on in the summer. There was also a cabin with two bedrooms overlooking the pond that her father had added onto the property.

"Oh by the way Kaoru- stay away from Aoshi's friend." The blue-eyed woman raised an eyebrow as she ate the last bite of her impromptu meal.

"Why should I Maya?" Kamatari sighed as she took a lengthy sip of the iced tea to wash down her food. He clearly wanted to go inside and relax but was being prevented from doing so as he conversed with his cousins.

"Aoshi brought a _straight_ male. He's a redhead. Looks good and is studying to be a lawyer like Aoshi."

Maya looked at Kamatari to see if he was offended by what she had said but he smiled at her assuringly letting her know that he understood why she empasized the sexual orientation of the redhead his younger brother had brought with him. Kaoru meanwhile sputtered and nearly choked on the drink. Exchanging a horrified glance with Maya and shooting a desperate look at her twin by the grill she swore.

"I'm going to kill that idiot as soon as I see him." She ignored Kamatari's sound of protest in defense of his brother and downed her drink as she fought to control her anger. "Fuck! Do you know what my weekend will be like now? Hell. Pure and utter hell."

"You're exaggerating." Mori stated. Maya and Kaoru looked at him expectantly and shared a glance. Someone needed to be reminded of things. Kaoru got the first dibs.

"Exhibit A- Sae announces she's adopting kids in the future and won't get married. Tokio is then pressured to bring home her boyfriend and hints are made for the two to marry soon." Maya took over for the next part.

"Exhibit B- Tokio brings Saito over. Megumi and Tae are asked: why are you still single? Tokio is asked if she will marry Saito."

Kaoru spoke again. "Exhibit C- Shishio, before we found out he was gay. 'Tae dear, are you sure you don't like him? He seems like a wonderful man.' Shortly followed by 'Sae – don't you want Aya to grow up with a father figure?' This was shortly ended, when Kamatari announced his relationship. And then-" Kaoru turned to Maya who gestured dramatically much to the displeasure of Kamatari who cringed at the reminder of that year's Christmas vacation.

"Oh the girls. To think, Kamatari found himself a partner first. But grandchildren!" It was a perfect imitation of Megumi's mother- Aunt Rika- so perfect that the other three at the table burst out into laughter. Kaoru made a move to continue but Mori waved a hand.

"All right, all right- I get it." He looked at the cousins in front of him and then at Sae and the others. "So what you're saying is that since this guy is attractive, studies law, and is within your age range, you're the next pliable target?"

"Yes. And it's all your fault." Both females pointed at Mori and then as an afterthought, Kaoru poked Kamatari. "And your's too."

"Our fault?" Kamatari asked as Soujiro came to take a seat. It seemed the barbecue he had been checking on was still cooking. "How is your problem our fault?"

Kaoru and Maya both hit the males next to them on the head- a slight thump that had them rubbing the sore spots. "Let's see…" Kaoru held up her hands. "There are four male cousins and six females. Of the six females- one has decided to never marry and the other is too young to be involved in matchmaking schemes. That leaves four." She indicated to her hands. "Of the four- one is pregnant, one has just gotten engaged to a man whom our mothers are caught between liking and disliking, one has put off starting a family, and the fourth- me- is single." She looked at Maya who continued narrating.

"Now, if you notice there are four cousins left- all male. Of the males- one has decided to never have kids, two have decided to become eternal bachelors." Mori and Sou high-fived each other across the table. "And the last is a block of ice. Seriously, I think Aoshi told me he had a girlfriend once- like four years ago when he was my age. It's no wonder our mothers are putting all their hopes on Kaoru and I. They want to see us married and having kids like they did. And they think we're their only hope for grandchildren."

"So the pressure's on you eh?" Mori stated looking at Kaoru with a leer. "Why don't you join Sou and I in the bachelor life Kaoru? It would solve all your problems." Kaoru rolled her eyes and stood up from the table. She handed her paper plate and napkin to Sou who took it with a grimace and threw it away in the nearby trashcan.

"I am not stupid like you two. Nor do I think my love life is so bad that I have to swear commitment off all together." She raised an eyebrow asking one of them to counter her. When no one did, she seemed satisfied. "Lovely- now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go say hi to my nieces."

Aya and Suzu- short for Ayame and Suzume- were the most adorable little girls. Sae had adopted Aya first through the US adoption system and raised her from infancy. When Aya was two, Sae had realized that she wanted her daughter to grow up with siblings just like she had. Thus, she had begun the adoption process for another child- a girl. When Sae had first seen Suzume- a mere two days after her birth at the local hospital in Boston- she had fallen in love. Now, the two were the darling little angels of any family get together. And since they liked Aunt Kaoru the most out of all of them, it only made sense that she got to see them and spoil them quite a bit.

"Aunt Kaoru!" The girls spotted her first, as she expected them to. They had this uncanny ability to find her when she was near them. It resulted in Kaoru being it quite often when she played hide-and-seek with them.

"Hi there!" She was glomped by the two and let out a sigh at the feeling of sand falling onto her toes and sticking to the legs she had left exposed by wearing shorts. "What have you two been up to so far?" The girls smirked and dragged her to the sandbox while their mother waved at her in greeting.

"Good to see you Kaoru. How was your drive?"

"Not bad- I drove with the windows down and everything!" Kaoru grinned as she took a seat in the sandbox. A bucket and a shovel were thrust in her direction and she took them, eagerly awaiting the instructions that were sure to come.

"Making sandcastle!" Suzu stated proudly. "Aya said so!" Suzu was nearing three soon and in spite of how much Sae and her grandparents drilled grammar into her, her adorable baby talk always came through. Kaoru nodded seriously at the instruction and looked to the elder, more articulate sister, trying not to coo at the utter adorableness of her nieces.

"We need towers!" Ayame instructed pointing to the back where she and her sister had created a large block of something. It oddly looked like they had some help with that. Casting a curious glance at Tokio and Saito lounging under the tree she noticed that the male had a few sand particles clinging to his jeans that she hadn't noticed earlier.

Shaking her head, she turned back to the budding architects. "How many?"

"Three!" Suzu clapped her hands but Aya shook her head. Seeing a fight about to break out if no one intervened, Sae spoke up.

"Aya- let Suzu pick. She did everything you asked her to; it's only fair." The elder of the two pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. She debated her options and finally threw her shovel down harshly and moved to another corner telling her aunt that three towers were okay.

"How do you do it Sae?" Kaoru asked helping Suzu pile sand into a bucket. "Mama had so much trouble with Sou and I when we were little."

"Practice!" The cousin grinned. "And I know that they'll end this game soon." She got scandalized looks from her girls but brushed them off, knowing that they would forget what she said as soon as she announced lunch.

"Practice: hear that Tokio? You need practice to make your kids behave." Tokio grinned at Kaoru and jabbed a finger at Saito.

"Or I could tell them that their father will be displeased. He's a good disciplinarian." Laughter resounded from the females much to the chagrin of Saito and the little girls. It wasn't to last long however as Kaoru was sucked back into her construction job for a while longer.

"Mommy, hungry." Suzu waddled over to her mother and held her hands up. Ignoring the fact that her daughter was covered in sand, Sae picked her up and stood.

"Well, if you're hungry- let's get some food in your tummy." She tickled Suzume's stomach receiving giggles and shrieks in response. "And you know what- we're just in time too. Aoshi and the others are back." That got the attention of the others.

Kaoru stared at the men coming in. Her father was walking towards her with Uncle Hiko, Uncle Koji, and Uncle Ryo. Behind them she saw Aoshi and Sano with a redhead in between them. She sized him up and tried to categorize the threat he would play. He was short, and from where she was, looked like a teenager lost in a crowd of men. But he was also quite handsome. And he had good taste in clothing even if, at the moment, he was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The red hair kind of made him look exotic and she supposed that was another point in his favor. With a grumble, she realized that this man was definitely high on the warning scale. The less she interacted with him, the better.

Tokio laughed as she stood with Sano's help. "Maya warned you didn't she?" Kaoru turned to her and shrugged, standing up and dusting her legs.

"She told me about him, but she failed to mention that he's high on the danger scale." Sae laughed at that while Saito narrowed his eyes and glared at the male. Ayame tugged on Kaoru's pants.

"He's not bad, Aunt Kaoru. He played hide-and-seek with me and Suzu yesterday. He's really good!" Kaoru bit her lip to stop her laugh from escaping and scooped up the four year old girl.

"Of course not. I must have gotten him confused with someone else." She walked over to her father who had spotted her and was smiling and waving excitedly. "First though, how about we go greet Grandpa Shiro. I think he's going crazy with excitement."

It took her mere moments to be relieved of Ayame when she approached the men. The little girl had seized her grandpa in a tight hug and wrapped her legs around his waist. Kaoru meanwhile was dragged into a hug that had her squealing and laughing.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed as Uncle Hiko joined him in swinging her around. "I missed you guys!" Uncle Ryo ruffled her hair while Aoshi and Sano approached her.

"We missed you too. You and Maya are the only ones left for us now." She stuck her tongue out at her uncle, receiving a reprimand from her father and a chorus of laughs from the others.

"Maya and I will be fine." She announced jabbing a finger at Aoshi. "Or we would have been had this idiot not goofed up like he did." Aoshi raised an eyebrow at her and Ayame thought it to be the right moment to talk.

"Are you talking about how dangerous Mr. Ken is? Mama and Aunt Tokio and Aunt Kaoru were saying that by the sandbox." She stated wisely to her grandfather.

"Is that so?" Aoshi clarified as the elder gentlemen went inside to wash up. Sae followed them with a slightly cranky Suzume in tow. The kids were getting hungry and the sooner they washed up and ate, the better it was for them.

"That came out sounding a lot worse than it was." Kaoru clarified flushing red, especially when she met the redhead's gaze. "You know that I'm never rude to a person like that." Sano nodded thoughtfully while Aoshi dragged his friend over by the arm.

"Kaoru, meet Kenshin. Kenshin- this is my cousin Kaoru- the one who apparently thinks you're dangerous."

"It's not like that. You know how our mamas are Aoshi. And what with Sano finally getting the guts to drop down on one knee, it leaves Maya and me in a really bad predicament." Aoshi raised his eyes in question again while Sano began to laugh. She had a feeling she knew why he was laughing. Megumi had probably told him all about the eager mamas. They made the mothers in her romance novels look tame.

"No one ever told me why I'm dangerous." A smooth voice interjected. It took Kaoru a few seconds to place it and when she did she had to resist the urge to sigh. This man that Aoshi had brought home was proving to be everything that her mother's wanted to see. He was handsome, intelligent, a smooth talker, and had a really nice voice.

She shrugged as she led the way towards the tables she had vacated earlier. Her father had joined Sou and Mori by the grill leaving Kamatari and Maya alone at one of the large tables. "It's not so much you as it is my mother and aunts. They… they only mean the best for us but…" She trailed off, looking at Aoshi and asking him silently if he wanted her to finish. Aoshi smirked and Kaoru narrowed her eyes.

"Maybe I thought I wanted it to be this way." He paused for dramatic effect. "And Kenshin's moving to Raleigh soon."

"You ass!"

Kaoru rounded on her cousin and began to hit him much to the amusement of her family and the confusion of Kenshin. She didn't care however. She just knew that Aoshi had successfully sentenced her to a weekend spent dodging her mother and aunts. And a weekend spent making her and Kenshin extremely uncomfortable.

* * *

Kaoru shut the door to the blue room and climbed into bed, hogging it to herself for a while. She had predicted that the reaction of the elder females in her family would be bad but she hadn't realized just how bad it would be when directed at her. All those times she had grimaced and tried to help her cousins made this pale in comparison. Her aunts and mother were even more adamant about nudging her towards Kenshin and Aoshi was egging them on. It got to the point her uncles and father were hesitant to stop the females. If it wasn't for her cousins, Kaoru would be mortified.

"I hate you." She murmured as the door opened and Aoshi walked in. Behind him came Megumi, Tokio, and Saito to make sure that the two resolved this problem.

"Good to know." Aoshi muttered leaning against the wall closest to the door. Tokio slapped his arm as she and Megumi made their way to the bed and took seats on either side of their cousin.

Saito huffed. "What the hell do you think you're pulling? Those women are bad but with your pressure they become worse." He looked at the three women on the bed. "I don't mean anything Tokio, stop with that look."

His wife rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes- it's fine. But really Aoshi- what are you up to?"

"Am I not allowed to see my cousin happy?" Aoshi asked his eyes narrowing. Honestly, he was raised by his mother in a traditional manner where women should be married in their mid-twenties to decent, respectable men holding good jobs.

When he had first met Kenshin the man was recovering from a bad breakup. Three years later, he had come to an odd realization as he graduated from law school. The family had split with Kaoru and her mother attending his graduation instead of Mori's MBA one and Kenshin had idly remarked that his ponytailed cousin looked pretty. It was the first time he had seen his friend mention a female that way since the breakup and Aoshi began to see things in a new light. Kenshin was a good man and with a few nudges in a certain direction, he and Kaoru might make a perfect pair. If only, his cousin saw it that way.

Kaoru glared at him. "Aoshi- seeing me happy is to let me fall in love, not throw someone at me."

"And what do you mean happy?" Megumi asked, narrowing her eyes. "You don't mean to say you want to set our dear Kaoru up do you?" There was silence as the room understood what Aoshi didn't say. And then came the reactions. Saito looked out the window as he analyzed what he had seen of the redhead. And then, the two women next to Kaoru pounced.

"You tell us right now why he's good for our Kaoru!" Tokio- the eldest by seven months in front of Tae and Sae- was now the one demanding answers. She was always protective of her family, more so than any of the others and mostly because she had been old enough to be a true big sister when her siblings and most of her cousins had started being born.

"He likes her, he's a good man, and I believe he'll be a good match for Kaoru emotionally and mentally." Aoshi regarded Kaoru coolly. "That is, if she agrees to give him a chance."

"If I give him a chance." The woman in question hissed. "You couldn't have oh- I don't know introduced us earlier?" Kaoru waved her hands and then thumped them down on the bed. "Seriously Aoshi- you're on my hit list as of now. Of all the damn things you could do, you chose this?"

"He showed interest only recently." Aoshi defended as though that explained everything.

The women on the bed shared exasperated looks. Tokio stood up from the bed after a decision was made, making her way to Aoshi and twisting his ear. As the oldest, she had a lot of authority and was one of the few allowed to get away with manhandling her younger male family members to this day.

"You're an idiot." Saito stated stepping up to offer his wife an arm to hold. Aoshi was much stronger than her and while he knew that he wouldn't hurt Tokio, he didn't like to see Tokio do this in her current, fragile state.

Megumi put her head in her hands and sighed. "Really Aoshi. You noticed the attraction and decided this on a whim? I mean does Kenshin even know why you brought him here?" Aoshi fidgeted and Tokio gave his ear another twist, this time getting a wince out of him.

"What do we do?" Kaoru stated bringing her knees up and putting her head on them.

There was a silence as the five thought about the situation. Finally, it was Saito who spoke, gently easing his wife away from her younger cousin and making her sit on the bed. He received a glare for his efforts but he ignored it.

"This man is good you say?" He probed staring Aoshi down. Saito had become a big brother to all once he married Tokio and Aoshi flinched a little under his gaze but nodded. "He will be a lawyer in Raleigh?" Aoshi nodded again. "Tokio and I can watch him if need be correct?" He dared Aoshi to answer in a negative manner to that question.

"You want me to go along with that idiot's idea?" Kaoru demanded turning a hurt face to Saito. Tokio too looked at her husband as though he had betrayed her while Megumi stayed silent.

She seemed to be pondering the same thing Saito was. At this point, it was futile to try to resist the mothers and fathers. Instead, it was best to go along with them but control the strings from behind. Since Kaoru knew what Aoshi wanted, she could easily give into his plan and do things at her own pace. She didn't have to fall in love with Kenshin immediately or anything but she could try to befriend the guy and see if there were any sparks.

"Kaoru- agree to it." When her cousin looked at her, Megumi raised a hand telling her to not interrupt. "I'm not saying you have to date him or get together with him immediately but you could always spend time with the guy and get to know him. We can work on keeping the parents off your back and you can spend some time with the guy and make a decision based on what you want. The only difference is, by doing so, _you'll_ be manipulating the situation."

"Do you really think it will work?" Kaoru asked skeptically. From the few hours she had interacted with Kenshin, she could easily say he was a sweet guy and if she had met him at a bar or something she probably would have flirted and gotten to know him. This situation made it different. She thought she would like to know him and get to befriend the guy before she decided whether or not her cousin had a point in bringing them together.

"Tokio and I have been evading the mamas for years; we know what to do." She looked at Aoshi hoping he was squirming under her gaze. "And this time- Aoshi will be watched."

Kaoru bit her lip and then sighed. "Okay- fine, let's do this. But I swear, if you-" she leveled a glare at Aoshi- "do anything to interfere I'm gonna make your life hell."

"I won't." Aoshi surrendered, realizing he was outnumbered now. Satisfied, Kaoru stood from the bed and opened the room door. The afternoon barbecue had ended but Tae and Chou had promised everyone homemade pizzas that night. They had made the dough that morning and were currently rolling it out and topping it. She couldn't wait to try them.

Turning, she addressed the others. "Let's go down to dinner- I'm hungry!"

Downstairs was a ruckus. The uncles, Mori, Maya, Sano, and Sou had taken over the living room and were watching one of the World Cup matches with loud commentary. Aoshi and Saito discreetly joined them leaving the three cousins to go into the kitchen. Sae and the little girls were outside letting off some more energy and Aunt Ayu and Rika were with them. Which left Tokio's mother and Kaoru's mother out on the deck preparing the tables for dinner. Megumi left to go join them while Tokio took a seat at the island and watched Chou knead out a ball of pizza.

"How many are you making?" She asked casually watching Kenshin chop some vegetables at the dining table. She glared at Kaoru and jerked with her head prompting the young woman to take a seat by the redhead.

"Ah- Tae says one will feed four so we're thinking six. Two cheese, two with veggies, and two with meat. We're making them in batches of two: six in here and two out on the grill."

"That's a lot of pizza." Tokio stated before her face etched into curiosity. "I didn't know you could make pizza on the grill." Tae answered this time turning away from the oven where she'd put the first two pizzas in. They were meat ones, topped with bacon and prosciutto.

"Chou and I have heard of it but Kenshin's apparently done it before. He decided to do the veggie ones out there." She moved back to the island and took the first of the kneaded pizzas from her husband. They had numerous baking sheets and cookie pans in the house and were making use of them to make square pizzas since the two pizza pans were currently in the oven.

"I didn't know you could cook." Kaoru stated from next to Kenshin. "Do you do it often?" The redhead shrugged as he chopped the last of the tomatoes and put them in a bowl.

"I guess. It was a hobby of mine growing up and now it's become something I enjoy." He stood and washed the cutting board and knife in the sink. "Do you cook often Kaoru?" Laughter sounded in the kitchen and Kenshin turned to look at the source of the laughter-Tokio- with a raised eyebrow.

"Kaoru here," Tokio clarified stopping her laughter, "can't cook. The last time she did, she nearly set this kitchen on fire." Kenshin merely nodded his head as the back door opened and the three women from the deck came inside.

"The table's ready and the grill is heated up Kenshin." Aunt Mika- Tokio's mother approached them and moved to Tokio with a smile. Kaoru's mother moved to stand behind and smiled softly at her.

"What was so secretive that you had to disappear?" She asked softly undoing her daughter's ponytail and fingering the hair.

"Stuff." Kaoru muttered not wanting to say anymore. "What are you doing with my hair?"

"Thinking of braiding it." Her mother answered. Tae began to spread sauce and cheese on the second cookie pan pizza that her husband had kneaded.

"Maybe I'll let you do it after dinner." Kaoru noticed Kenshin waiting by the island and realized that he was waiting for the pizzas so he could finish them on the grill. She hesitated but one look from Megumi had her standing up, letting her mother's hands fall from her hair.

"I think…" she started as she saw Kenshin pick up both trays. "I think, I'll go help Kenshin with the pizzas on the grill." She stacked up the bowls of cut veggies and stepped in front of Kenshin, opening the deck door for him and stepping outside. Her mother shot her a look that clearly said she wanted details and Kaoru pretended not to notice it. She had no real details to give. And maybe, this wasn't such a good idea after all. She doubted she'd be able to escape the scheming mamas.

Kenshin set the pizza pans down on a table and she put the veggies next to them. He was quick at getting the grill started and she wondered if he had experience with that sort of machine. The grill had been something that her uncles had gifted her father and Sou to do their barbecues on. It was one of those state of the art things that you had to know to work; the kind that one used to make good southern barbecue. When Kenshin had finished playing with the knobs, he turned back to her just in time to see her redo her ponytail.

"You know how to use that?" She asked jerking a hand in the direction of the grill once her ponytail was secure.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "My part-time job in college was as a cook. It's not that different from a restaurant range." Kaoru pursed her lips softy, turning her attention to the pizza and looking at the veggies she had brought out: tomatoes, onions, peppers (green and yellow), and a few mushrooms. She and a few others didn't like mushrooms so she'd make sure to only put them on one pizza. And she'd have to remember to ask him questions about his life as a cook later.

As she started with the mushrooms, he came up to her. "Are you sure it's a good thing to put them all on one pizza?"

"Yes. Sou, Maya, Saito and I don't like them. And neither do Aunt Ayu or Suzu."

"Oh." He reached over her for the tomatoes and began working on the pizza she had left untouched. "Your family is large." Kaoru glanced up at him to find him bent on arranging the veggies. He was trying to start a conversation with her and she supposed she could humor him.

"It's really dad's side of the family. Mama only has an older brother and he has two kids. Both of my aunts however have three each. So, our family is huge but it's only cause of us cousins." She moved aside and picked up the peppers, decorating her pizza and watching Kenshin use onions on his.

"That's nice." Kenshin stopped what he was doing with the onions and then looked at her. "May I ask you a frank question?" Kaoru stopped her task giving him a glance that clearly told him to continue. Before he could however, the door to the kitchen opened and Megumi came out with a bowl of grated cheese that she set on the table.

"You forgot this." She stated catching the odd silence. Knowing that she had interrupted something (and hoping it was a good thing she had interrupted) she fled back inside leaving the two alone. It was quiet for a moment as both tried to figure out what to say.

Kaoru brought the cheese closer and spoke first. "You uh- were going to ask me something?"

He seemed unsure of how to continue but eventually spoke. "I…your family seems intent on me… and you." Kaoru let the peppers she had been holding drop onto her pizza with a splat letting bits of grated cheese fly out of the pan. She should have known that Aoshi's friend was too smart for his own good and figured it out. An embarrassed flush took over her cheeks and she sat down at the table.

"Oh man." Hiding her face in her hands- her arms really- she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry- I'm so sorry! My mother and aunts are always dreadful and I was expecting that but Aoshi's just been awful." She dared a peek at him taking in the expression on his face- curiosity and pensiveness. "Aoshi had this stupid idea in mind that you and I would be good together. So he brought you and somehow convinced the uncles and my father that you are good for me. Which is rare since they're so protective of us girls. I thought for sure they were going to do something to Sano at the pond." Kaoru stopped now waiting to see if he had anything to say.

"Aoshi did this?" He asked unable to believe his stoic friend from law school was capable of such actions.

"Oh trust me, you weren't the only one surprised." She looked closer at him now and realized that he was starting at her oddly as though she had said something that was both good and bad, but more good than bad.

"It's not that bad I suppose." Smiling at her dumbfounded expression, he moved to the peppers and dressed his pizza with it. "Do you want to finish decorating this pizza Kaoru?" She hesitated, suddenly feeling a little like she was getting into something she wasn't sure of. It seemed Kenshin was a step ahead of her. Still sitting, she addressed him.

"Tell me, why aren't you more worried about what Aoshi did?" Kenshin reached for the cheese and shrugged, not sure what to say.

The redhead was kind of happy about the fact that his friend apparently had no qualms about dating the girl he saw as a younger sister. But at the same time, he wasn't interested in the family situation Aoshi had forced on him. Still, this was one of those instances where it was better to have gained something than lost more. And if Kaoru was interested- at least, he thought she was- then maybe sticking out the weekend wouldn't be a total loss for him.

"I'm not sure exactly." He glanced at her. "What bothers you about it?"

Kaoru averted her eyes. "I guess it's the fact that he tried to set me up when he knows I hate it. I prefer meeting people on my own and having them be direct." She stood up now, reaching for the tomatoes and adding them to the pizza she had originally been decorating. Satisfied, she moved on to add the final topping to it- more cheese.

"Oh?" Kenshin narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as she finished talking. With slow, deliberate movements, he made sure that his hands met hers as she reached down to take another handful of cheese.

"Then, will you go out with me Kaoru?"

The younger woman stared at him like he had grown another head. She yanked her hand back and glared at him as she took a few steps away. There was cheese all over the table now and she probably would have to get more to put on the pizza that wasn't done yet.

"What the hell are you playing at?" She demanded thankful that he seemed to not want to violate her personal space any further.

"You said you liked a direct man." Kenshin stated with a shrug, his gaze flicking from her back to the unfinished pizza. "Of course, if you can't give me an answer now, I'll wait." He took the leftover cheese and spread it around the second pizza in an even layer. "For now, let's focus on the pizza hmm?"

Kaoru fumbled with her shirt as she watched him work. She had been shocked (and a little outraged) when he had grabbed her hand so casually but she had to admit that there were some giddy butterflies in her stomach when it happened. Kenshin was kind of cute and she had decided that he was potential dateable material. And then of course, there was the decision made between her and her cousins. She bit her lip and moved to the table to pick up one of the pizzas.

"Look," she began with apprehension, "I'm not saying yes right now or anything but… I'm not exactly saying no either." Kenshin glanced at her and then walked towards the grill. "I don't want to date you here, not with _them _around. But if you're willing to play along with me or at least get to know me then….maybe when you move to Raleigh we can look into things." She squared her shoulders as she finished, not wanting to seem timid and grabbed the second pizza.

"That sounds acceptable." Kenshin mused as he took the second pizza from her and put it on the grill next to the one he had already placed there. "Tell me about yourself then."

Kaoru stood to the side watching him as he adjusted the grill's settings to suit the cooking process he needed. She didn't know what to tell him. For one, what did Aoshi tell Kenshin about her? And the second thing, what did Kenshin want to know and what did she feel comfortable telling him?

"I'm not sure what to tell you." She finally admitted. "What do you know and what don't you know?"

"Hmm. Aoshi never did tell me what you do."

"Oh!" Her blue eyes widened. "I work for a university as one of their internship coordinators. It's fun, if not demanding and I have a break for a while." Kenshin turned to her as he shut the top of the grill.

"That sounds fun. Have you always been based in the Raleigh area then?" Kaoru nodded but her lips pursed in thought. She was curious about Kenshin too.

"And you- what are you doing in Raleigh?" She crossed her arms against her chest and moved to lean against the railing intent on getting her own answers.

"Ah." Kenshin walked forward to lean against the railing next to her. "I've been interested in intellectual property law- I studied organic chemistry when I was an undergrad and saw the potential in the field of science. Raleigh just seemed to be a good area because of RTP." Kaoru nodded. Her job required her to interact quite often with various companies based in and around RTP and could see how he would be in demand.

"Organic chemistry huh?" Kaoru asked as he shifted closer to her. She fidgeted, reminding herself that it was not polite to play with the hair of someone you just met, whether or not you had an agreement to date in the future. She made a face at that last thought but quickly changed her expression as Kenshin answered her question.

"I wanted to be a forensic scientist before I decided on law." He admitted with a smile. "My father was a lawyer and my mother a research scientist. Naturally, I wanted to do something that pleased them both and the idea of solving a crime and sending criminals to jail appealed to me."

"That's kind of nice of you. Kenshin the defender of injustice." She gave him a small grin suddenly feeling a little naïve when it came to her own reasons for choosing her career. "Your reasons for doing things are so different from mine. I just didn't want to leave the college environment I studied in and I wanted to have a job where I could interact with a lot of people."

Kenshin didn't say anything to answer her and instead moved back to the grill leaving her to wonder what his thoughts were on what she had just said. He checked the pizza and turned them both a little with the tongs to have them evenly cook before he put the lid back on the grill.

"Are they almost done?" Kaoru asked moving away from the railing and going to the table wanting to change the topic of the conversation. She started pushing the cheese that she had thrown on the table into the bowl and began cleaning the table for dinner.

Kenshin nodded, speaking when he noticed she wasn't looking. "They're almost done." He watched her as she gathered the cheese and moved to open the door when she made her way to the kitchen to deposit the bowl.

Stopping before she went inside, she turned to him with a smile.

"I'll be back out soon- let's talk some more okay?" Kenshin inclined his head and she nodded back before walking inside.

* * *

The next morning, Kaoru's mother hummed as she brushed her daughter's hair and brought it together. As promised, her daughter had come to her to get her hair done. She was curious about her daughter's life because it had been a while since she had last had a mother daughter talk with her. Evenly, she began to split her daughter's hair into three, equal portions and brushed them all out as she spoke.

"So, is there something you want to tell your dear mother?" Kaoru stiffened under her and Midori paused in her actions for a moment waiting to hear what her daughter said.

"It depends on what you want to know." Kaoru answered relaxing further under her mother's ministrations. "Why are you doing a braid?"

Her mother noticed that she changed the topic but sighed. She knew her daughter. Pushing the issue now would get her the answer but in a way that would make it harder for her to discuss anything further with her daughter. And if she ever wanted to hear anything from Kaoru about what her relationship with that redheaded friend of Aoshi's was, then she would let it go now and press for details later. Kaoru tended to gush about things when she was happy and so Midori would wait this time.

"I think you look nice in a braid." Midori stated turning her daughter's head back to the front when she turned to look at her. "It brings out the sharpness of your cheekbones but softens you too."

"So you're saying I look pretty with a braid?" Kaoru asked as her mother finished. "Well, I suppose that's fine then." Her mother pushed her shoulder in retaliation causing her daughter to grin back at her. "You know I don't really care mama."

"I know." Her mother took her daughter's arm and led her out the door. "What are you planning on doing today?"

"Today is the Fourth of July." Kaoru answered as she walked to the kitchen. "Tae and Megumi said something about going into town to buy fireworks. I think the boys are staying here so that they can get the fire pit and pond area ready for smores and fireworks."

"And you?" Her mother asked as they came upon the kitchen. Kaoru didn't answer as she was soon assaulted by two sets of tiny hands and feet.

"Parade, parade, parade!" Aya chanted as Suzu tugged at her aunt's pants and then raised her hands up. Kaoru picked her up and turned to her mother.

"As you see- I'm going with these girls, Kenshin, and Sae to see the parade in town."

"I see." Midori watched as her daughter left to greet Kenshin. There was something there in the way the two interacted that caught her attention. It was familiar and comfortable, almost as though Kaoru and Kenshin were close friends. She averted her eyes to find her sister in-law nearby. She'd get those answers later- it looked like Ayu needed her help with breakfast.

Two hours later, Sae and Kaoru watched as Ayame tried to control her envy at the fact that her little sister got to sit on Kenshin's shoulder so that she could see the parade better. Seeing a problem about to brew, Kaoru squatted down and motioned for the little girl to come closer. When she did, Kaoru opened her arms. Ayame understood what that gesture meant and eagerly hopped into her aunt's arms. It wasn't as high a position as her sister's but she could still see the parade from a better viewpoint. It also helped that they were in the front row of the crowd, so she had a relatively unobscured view.

"When's it going to start?" She asked impatiently looking around the crowd. The parade had yet to start but already the sides of the main street were full of people clad in red, white, and blue. It was also hot with the temperature nearing eighty already.

"It'll start at ten." Her mother answered. "That means soon according to that clock over there." Aya followed her mother's gaze to see a big round clock on the face of a building across the street. She had no idea how her mother knew it was almost ten- that was grown up stuff- but she was glad that it meant the parade would start soon. Squirming in her aunt's hold, she reached out and tapped her sister's shoe.

"The parade starts soon Suzu." She stated when her sister gave her her attention. "Are you excited?" Suzu nodded her legs moving with her and tapping Kenshin's chest. Leaning forward she tried to meet Kenshin's eyes but couldn't and settled for looking at his hair instead.

"You excited Mr. Ken?" Kenshin titled his head up slightly to meet the curious child's gaze. He had to admit that her childish questions and baby talk were quite adorable.

"I am." He tightened his hold on her feet- something he had done so only after he'd received a few kicks- and turned to look at Kaoru. "What about you Kaoru?" The young woman adjusted her hold on her niece as she answered him.

"Yes." She answered as she met his gaze. "I've been coming to this parade since I was Suzu's age and going to it is one of the most exciting things about the holiday for me. The music, the floats, and the people- it's just amazing!" Kenshin opened his mouth to say more but a cheer sprang out among the assembled crowd and he turned his gaze to the street to see what was happening.

It appeared the parade had started for there was the mayor going by in a convertible with a police escort.

Suzu squealed in delight. "It started!" A tug on his hair made him wince but the excitement the little girl was exuding took his mind off the pain and he paid attention to the parade along with Suzu.

Kenshin saw high school marching bands and color guards make their way down the street followed by the local firefighters and police officers. He saw floats sponsored by different establishments in town and a few for various schools around the area. Finally, they came to the end and the highlight. Members of the armed services and National Guard marched down the street, waving to those who knew them and saying hello to those who didn't.

"Is it done?" Ayame asked as the road slowly started emptying and the paradegoers began to make their way home as the army men marched away. "I wanted it to be longer!"

"Maybe it'll be longer next year." Her mother consoled as she took Ayame from Kaoru. Sae was happy the parade ended, not that she'd ever tell her daughter. The temperature was pushing the mid-nineties today and she wanted all of them to be inside during the worst of the heat. "You liked it though didn't you?"

"Yes!" Ayame began to describe what she saw and Sae listened to her, providing feedback as she saw fit. Kaoru turned to look at Kenshin and cast a glance at the little girl still on his shoulders.

She walked up to them and grabbed the little girl's hands. "What about you Suzu- did you like the parade?"

"Mmm hmm!" Suzu nodded and her pigtails moved with her causing Kaoru to giggle. "Drums Aunt Kaoru! And music!" It seemed that Suzu's favorite part had been the marching bands. She turned to Kenshin asking him the same question wondering what the redhead would have liked.

"The end." He answered softly. "My family- on my mother's side- has strong connections to the military." He watched a few of the soldiers interacting with their family and friends on the sidelines and his eyes softened.

"That's nice. I think my favorite part is the same as Suzu's though." She gushed out winking at the little girl. "There's just something about the marching band and the drum line that exhilarates you."

"Yes there is." Squatting down, Kenshin asked Suzume to climb off his shoulders and she did so only to immediately clamber into her aunt's arms. Young as she was, she had always been told by her mother to be close to someone she knew when in a large group of people. This event counted as such an occurrence in her mind.

"What are we doing today?" Aya asked as they approached Sae. Kaoru looked at her cousin who answered for them all.

"First, we're going to get some food in your tummy." She stated poking her daughter's stomach. "And then… well, we can help make dinner so that we can eat it outside by the fire pit."

"Pretty sky lights?" Suzu asked remembering that her family had been talking about the fireworks all weekend.

"Yes." Kaoru answered for her niece. "Lots and lots of pretty fireworks." She followed Sae who had begun to walk to the nearby parking lot. Kenshin had the keys, mostly because she and Sae didn't have pockets to place them in and he walked slightly ahead of them to unlock the car and start it.

"No get in car?" Suzu asked when Kenshin stepped back out with the windows and the driver side door open.

"It's too hot." Her mother answered giving Kenshin a nod in thanks for starting the car. "We'll be home soon though. I hear that Grandma is making pasta and macaroni and cheese." Suzu's eyes lit up and she fidgeted with eagerness.

Once Kenshin affirmed that the car had cooled down to a decent temperature, the women buckled up the girls in their car seats and Kaoru snuck into the seat next to them. It was a tight fit but she was used to it after her years of cramming into cars in college. Once settled, Kenshin took the driving position once again and Sae slipped into the passenger seat to begin their drive home.

The house was teeming with family members when they arrived. Lunch was in the process of being served with everyone agreeing to take turns as the space dictated. Sae took her kids to the washroom while Kaoru joined Megumi in trying to corral the mothers into joining their husbands in the first load of lunch. Tokio had already taken her seat, her husband making sure that she ate soon. Once the parents were ready, Kaoru began to play host.

This was normal for her and her cousins. Since they had become old enough the girls had taken to helping their mothers serve their family. What had started as a way to feed the entire family in spurts because of their large size had become a tradition of sorts. Nowadays, with the children having grown up to be young adults, they often dragged the parents to eat first and followed after them in the second round of eating.

"So, how was the parade?" Megumi asked as Tae and Chou took over serving with Maya. It would be practice for the restaurant, they told the others.

Kaoru grinned. "It was as wonderful as always. Suzu really liked the marching bands." She stated. Following Megumi into the kitchen she waited to see what else her cousin had to ask. Megumi wouldn't have led her into the kitchen without some ulterior motive.

"How was the parade with Kenshin?" Her cousin grilled her as soon as they were out of earshot of the dining room. "And what happened last night when you were out there with the pizzas? You looked cozier with him during dinner."

Kaoru scowled not wanting to answer her cousin's questions because of their snooping nature. She wanted to keep her romance life private, especially since it had come to the forefront of the entire family's attention during the weekend. Still, she knew Megumi deserved an answer because she had helped concoct that stupid plan yesterday. The plan that Kaoru wasn't exactly following per say.

"We just talked." She finally groused out crossing her arms across her chest. "And agreed to get to know each other before… before he moves to Raleigh." Seeing Megumi's face morph into a sly grin she frowned. "And that's all I'm willing to discuss on the subject."

Megumi made a face and debated asking her younger cousin for more details but sighed as she realized Kaoru was going to remain tight lipped.

"Okay then." She moved to fill up a glass of water for herself. "Just do let me know what happens alright?"

"I will Meg." Kaoru moved to throw an arm around her cousin in a quick hug. "If this doesn't work out there's always some cute doctors you could introduce me to hmm?" Laughing the two girls made it back to the dining room where they ran into Kenshin.

"Oh!" Megumi looked to her cousin in panic. "Kenshin, did you need something?" The redhead looked from one young woman to another before he answered.

"Just water." He moved past them and the two women followed him with their eyes.

"Do you think he heard us?" Megumi asked softly. She and Kaoru were having just another, normal, and teasing conversation but Kenshin didn't know that. She didn't want him to think that Kaoru was a fickle woman.

Kaoru shrugged and walked away from her cousin to Sae who was having trouble feeding both of her little girls. Sometimes, when she wanted to get away from Megumi and avoid awkward situations it was best to ignore what had just happened and said women in general. It made her life just a little easier to deal with.

"Kaoru," Sae murmured as the young woman came up to her, "I assume you're here for Ayame?"

"Of course!" Picking up the little girl, Kaoru took her seat and settled her in her lap as she picked up a fork of macaroni. Ayame pouted at being fed but ate what Kaoru fed her. She had already missed quite a few bites and had ended up feeding the floor and the table instead of herself as her grandfather put it.

"You know what I don't get," Hiko stated as he watched the two interact, "is how those girls of Sae's only eat if you or I feed them." Kaoru brushed off the praise- for that was what it was- and fed Aya another forkful of food.

"Kaoru just has this way with the girls." Her mother stated looking at her brother with a smile. "I think it's because she's had practice feeding her brother all the crazy concoctions she made."

This time Kaoru flushed in embarrassment at the jab made towards her cooking skills. "It was Sou's fault for not telling me all those years how terrible the cooking was." The man in question was luckily not available to hear her.

"Of course." Her mother amended as Aya tugged at her aunt's arm to indicate she wanted more food.

Before she knew it, her uncles and aunts were rising from the table and her cousins had begun clearing the dishes- paper plates and plastic utensils- which they threw into a trashcan. Sae took Ayame back from Kaoru and ushered her daughters to the living room where they managed to commandeer the television in the time between one world cup game and the next.

"How did the set up go for the fireworks?" Tae asked.

"Great!" Sano enthused waving his fork around and causing Megumi to glare at him in anger.

"What Sano means," Soujiro stated, "is that we organized the fireworks, cleaned out the area, and made sure that any rockets we set off will land at a safe distance." He took a bite of pasta and smiled after the explanation.

"And you do plan on making sure that they aren't loud right?" Maya asked. "It's Suzu's first time seeing fireworks live. She shouldn't be scared of them."

"I can't guarantee that Maya!" Mori stated with a grin. "They're fireworks after all." He looked at the table though. "We could let her watch from the cabin if she does become scared couldn't we?"

Kaoru and the others shrugged but Kamatari answered. "That does work." He mused as the rest continued to eat. "Did you guys clean out the area around the cabin too?" Mori rolled his eyes- an action ignored or glared at by most of the assembled party- and Sano answered.

"Yeah we did." He pouted as Megumi took his empty plate away. "Oh come on Meg- you aren't going to starve me are you?" His fiancé scowled.

"Starving is an act of desperation Sano when you cannot find food. Now shut up or I'll forbid you from ice cream." Sano made another face and Tae intervened feeling a little bad for him.

"Oh come on Megumi. He's just hungry. Don't do things like that." She stood as well gathering empty plates and forcing her husband to sit down. "Keep the boys busy." She told him as Maya and Kaoru followed her into the kitchen with a few more empty plates. "We'll be out with the ice cream soon."

"I sure do love paper plates!" Maya sang as they entered the kitchen. "It would be a nightmare to wash all those dishes now." Megumi hummed from her position by the island where she stood next to a giant bucket of Neapolitan ice cream.

"Megumi- do you know what flavors everyone likes?" Kaoru asked dumping the plates in her hand into the trash bag Maya was packing up. "If not, I can ask outside?"

"I think Kenshin's the only one I don't know." Megumi murmured as Tae began to place empty bowls in front of her. "Do you know?" Kaoru moved to the large box of spoons that they left sitting on one of the counters during weekends like these and pulled out a handful. She debated with herself about sharing the answer she knew.

"Vanilla." Seeing the heads in the kitchen snap towards her and an explanation clearly wanted, she sighed. "He ate vanilla yesterday when Tae had the bowls of ice cream out." She refused to comment on how she knew that, having sat next to him at dinner yesterday as he brought the bowl over and attempted to share it with her. It was a good thing she preferred chocolate ice cream herself.

"Okay, vanilla it is." Megumi busied herself with serving the ice cream while Maya left to deposit the trash in the trash can outside. "Kaoru, do you want to go ahead and serve some of these? I'm almost done and I'll follow you." Kaoru nodded as she placed a spoon in yet another bowl. Grabbing three bowls she walked outside and promptly handed them to the three closest to her- Kenshin, Soujiro, and Saito.

"Oi!" Mori yelled out. "What about me?" She looked pointedly at Kamatari who lightly tapped the younger man on the head.

"If Kaoru had more hands I'm quite sure she would bring us all ice cream Mori." Aoshi stated calmly. His eyes glanced to her and then at the bowl of vanilla ice cream in front of Kenshin. "As it is, I think she brought the first round of ice cream only for those she cares for most."

Kaoru squeaked, caught between attacking Aoshi or taking the bowl away from an embarrassed Kenshin. Taking the treat away would be rude and thumping Aoshi would only make his words seem more truthful than they were. Stuck, she instead pretended to not hear him and walked back into the kitchen, this time only to pick up a bowl of chocolate ice cream and shovel a spoon of it into her mouth. Megumi and Tae raised a brow at her actions and she sighed.

"Aoshi is stupid!" She grumbled looking at Megumi. "I can't go out there when Kenshin's around. He's just…" Megumi narrowed her eyes and washed her hands of any ice cream residue having already put the bucket back away in the freezer.

"He promised to not interfere." She stated as Tae gave Kaoru a sympathetic one-armed hug. "And really- where does he go off acting like he's your father?"

"It's best to just ignore him Kaoru." Tae amended as her younger sister returned and grabbed two bowls. "Oh Megumi- can you take three? I'll bring out a few more and Maya can bring out the rest."

"I'll take Mori's bowl." The youngest female announced having come back inside and currently washing her hands in the sink Megumi had just vacated. "You guys divide up the rest however you want."

The four women walked out with bowls and handed them to their respective parties but not before Megumi withheld Aoshi's bowl from him. He looked at her questioningly and she narrowed her eyes, using her three months of superiority over him.

"No interference." She hissed setting the bowl in front of him. "I'll sic Tokio on you if you misbehave." Saito narrowed his eyes at the latter statement and turned to Aoshi.

"She's pregnant- you don't want to see her angry." It was words of wisdom from the man who had been on the receiving end of more than enough of that anger and it also made Aoshi a little put out. If Saito himself was warning him about Tokio's anger then he should be careful.

"So, are we just having smores tonight?" Kamatari asked effectively changing the topic and stifling the awkward silence around the table. "And what's for dinner?"

Megumi shrugged. "Don't know. The mama's said that we need to leave the kitchen by two and that they were going to make something with Sae and the girls. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"I hope it's a good surprise." Mori murmured taking a large bite from his bowl. "Ow crap- that hurts!"

"Of course it would you idiot!" Maya sighed and turned to look at Kaoru. "How come I get stuck with the stupid brother?"

"It's stupid brother versus the brother that shared the womb with you and made your teenage years a nightmare. Trust me- you're better off with Mori." She made a face at that and everyone laughed.

To be calling Mori better than Soujiro was only the tip of the havoc he had caused Kaoru when they had been growing up. Megumi still remembered the frogs on the beds, the dead lizards in shoes, and the timing of sprinklers meant to ward off Kaoru's dates.

"He was that bad?"

Startled, Kaoru glanced at the redhead next to her who had turned curious eyes towards hers. She dared a peek at the table and noticed everyone else seemed busy with their own conversations.

"Dead lizards, live frogs, and the guys at school knowing that dating me meant going through all the booby traps my twin brother would set up around the house when they came to pick me up."

"Oh?" She heard the laughter in his voice and scowled waving the spoon in her hands at him in reprimand.

"It sounds funny now, but trust me- that was a time in my life I never want to repeat." Before he could respond to that, Aya and Suzu ran in squealing as they did so.

"Mama says the Argentina game is on." Aya walked to Kaoru and clambered onto her lap. "What game is she talking about?"

"It's a soccer game." Kaoru answered as Suzu attempted to mimic her sister and situate herself on Kenshin's lap. The redhead alleviated her struggles by picking her up and depositing her there.

"Oh." Aya looked at the table and the men who were now wolfing down the ice cream. "Mama says you should eat slower so you don't get a tummy ache."

"They should." Megumi amended hearing her words. "But this once, we can excuse them since they have an important game to watch." She took Sano's empty bowl from him and reached out to take Aoshi's as well. "Say you two, are you still going to help cook?"

"Yes!" Suzu squealed jumping in Kenshin's lap and making the redhead struggle with the spoon of ice cream he was trying to bring up to his mouth. "Mommy said you go soon."

"And we will Suzu." Tae grinned picking up a few more empty bowls and ushering the men to the living room. She winked at her niece and got a giggle in response causing the others to coo over Suzume some more. "I look forward to eating what you make."

* * *

"Kenshin!" Kaoru hissed as a hand clasped around her wrist and dragged her away from the fire pit later that night. "What are you doing?"

The redhead didn't reply, easily navigating the shadows around the small clearing and leading her towards the cabin at the edge of it. Kaoru didn't fear him- or the situation- too much. She was surrounded by her family after all and if anything were to happen that she didn't like, she could easily get out of it. Still, she would like to know what he was doing and why he was doing it. He opened the door and led the way inside before shutting it again.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kaoru asked crossing her arms across her chest and waiting for an explanation. He sat down on the rocking chair in the living room and pulled her down onto his lap ignoring her squeak of surprise at his actions. He hoped no one heard that and came to investigate.

"I just thought it would be nice to talk alone." She squirmed in his lap and managed to push herself back enough to look at his face in the darkness. The glow from the fire pit outside the window was just enough that she could see a bit of his features.

Kaoru huffed. "First- we could talk outside. Second, I don't need to sit on your lap for this talk. And third- since we're already here, we might as well talk." She adjusted her position and twined her arms around his shoulders so that she was situated comfortably.

Kenshin let out a grin, pleased at her actions. "Well, how about you start by telling me if you really do prefer doctors to lawyers."

"You heard that?" Kaoru squeaked out in surprise. "I swear that was just a joke." She looked away from him but when she heard laughter turned back to face him. "Wait- are you laughing at me?"

Leaning forward, Kenshin let his head fall on her shoulder and attempted to muffle the sounds coming from him. She would have none of it though and pulled at his ponytail to get him to look up at her. He had stopped laughing but the grin was still on his face and in the soft light it made him look a lot more handsome than she had realized. The arms around her tightened and she didn't mind. It felt nice to be like this, even if the circumstances weren't exactly to her liking. And it was kind of nice to see this playful side of Kenshin.

"You know," he murmured as a hand worked its way up to rest on the back of her neck, "I actually didn't bring you here to talk."

Kaoru knew that, in fact she had suspected it, but she didn't say that. A part of her wondered if this was the right thing to do since they were surrounded by family but another part of her wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him. Technically, she was supposed to use this weekend to get to know him and make her decision. And part of her decision could rest on whether or not he was a good kisser right? She looked at his face- the grin on his lips, the darkening of his eyes- and realized that she had already made up her mind last night on whether or not to date the guy.

"You're making the same face you did yesterday when you decided to get to know me." The hand on her waist moved a little up and down. "What are you thinking now?"

She bit her lip and her eyes softened a little at his words. It was kind of sweet that he remembered little things like that. She wasn't going to tell him what she was thinking though. From her position, all she would have to do was lean forward a few inches to make her lips meet his. And didn't someone say actions spoke louder than words? Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and leaned forward, closing the gap between them and connecting their lips.

She didn't have to worry, Kaoru mused. Kenshin was a good kisser. It had taken him mere seconds to respond, taking control and guiding her movements to match his. He angled his mouth just the right way, was aware of how she reacted, and effectively reduced her into thinking about nothing more than what he was going to do next. He tasted like the smores they had just finished- a mix of chocolate, marshmallow, and warm cinnamon.

What surprised her the most was that she forgot how to breathe and by the time she did, his lips moved away from hers to kiss the corner of her mouth. Opening her mouth, she wanted to ask him what he was doing. And then she flushed: only one small kiss like that and she was already hooked. Of course, if she did forget to breathe every time, she'd be reduced to a panting mess like she was now and that wasn't in anyone's best interests.

"I should stop." He murmured letting his head rest on her shoulder and giving her a kiss there. She nodded, hoping he noticed her actions as her hand played idly with a few strands of his hair.

"What does this mean?" She asked as she regained control of her breathing.

Kaoru had no doubts that had he continued, the kiss would have led to an intense make-out session and perhaps more; once she had gained some control over the situation that is. She was glad that he had the sense to stop. She didn't know how she would survive it if she was caught making out with Kenshin in the darkness of the cabin. He nuzzled her shoulder and she played with his ponytail in retaliation.

Kenshin smiled against her shoulder. "I suppose this means that when I move to Raleigh, I start dating you." His breath washed over her shoulder and she shivered. It was still hot outside and her attire of shorts and a tank-top had seemed wise. Right now though, it was not helping her and made her feel exposed.

"Dating?" She asked teasingly. "Well, you haven't exactly asked me yet." Kenshin pulled his head away from her shoulders to look at her.

"Well then, when I move to Raleigh will you go out with me?" Kaoru pretended to think on her answer for a moment but gave in when she saw the hopeful expression on his face.

"Sure." Biting her lip, she thought on her next few words before deciding that they would be acceptable. "I don't think one kiss is enough to convince me to give you more than just one date." He raised his eyebrows in question and an amused grin appeared on his face.

"Is that so?" He pulled her towards him again and whispered against her lips. "In that case, let me fix that."

The second kiss was even better than the first especially since she was more prepared this time. The taste of chocolate and cinnamon was more intense, the smell of ginger and pine that Kaoru realized belonged to Kenshin much sharper. His teeth nipped playfully at her lips and she admitted to being a little jealous of just how skilled he was.

And she let him go further this time, allowing him to push his tongue into her mouth and nearly making her unable to breathe again. She didn't have time to dwell on what was happening for much longer though as they heard someone come closer to the door and open it.

Gasping, Kaoru shot off his lap and fell to the floor as Kenshin was unable to tighten his hold on her due to the suddenness of her movements. Shocked they turned to the door where an embarrassed Soujiro stood. He noticed the mussed hair, his sister at the foot of the chair Kenshin was in, and had seen them jump apart from each other. And of course, they were both breathing quite heavily as well.

"Hey Sou, did you find Kaoru and Kenshin yet?" Kaoru pleaded at him from her position on the floor and he sighed turning to address what sounded like Mori.

"Yes- they just had to use the bathroom. Go on, we'll be there soon."

When the person disappeared, he turned to the two in the room. Kaoru had now stood up and was hastily adjusting her appearance while Kenshin did the same.

"Hurry up," he mumbled annoyed at having been the one to interrupt and place them all in an awkward situation, "it's just us who noticed you now but if you're not careful the mamas will notice too." The two left through the door, Kaoru running away to sit by Megumi and Tokio, leaving him to stand by Kenshin near the cabin's entrance.

"Sou-" Kenshin cleared his throat, not sure of what to say.

"Save it. She's my twin sister and all I ask is that you don't give me and everyone else out there reasons to hurt you in the future." Kenshin nodded and the two made their way back to where everyone was gathered.

Saito and the other men were sharing a case of beer and when offered, Kenshin took a can. He noticed Kaoru sitting off to the side next to the two cousins he noted she spent the most time with. In the firelight, she looked beautiful. An elbow to his gut caused him to grunt and look at Saito.

"Fix your hair before the elders notice." The man grunted taking a swig from his own can. "You look too obvious."

Face paling, Kenshin did so, hoping that no one noticed. A sight to his right caught his attention and he saw Kamatari roll his eyes at him before disappearing to sit by Kaoru. Were they that obvious? Groaning, he sat down on the ground. He'd worry about that later.

Kaoru hid her face in her hands as Megumi undid her ponytail and began to braid Kaoru's hair to fix the mussed up state. She and Tokio shared a silent look. They would do whatever it took to keep this private but they couldn't guarantee that someone had noticed. For now, they'd help Kaoru keep this incident secret. A shift to their right caught their attention and Kamatari took a seat.

"Oi." He nudged the young woman who was hiding her face. "Stop drawing attention to yourself." Kaoru looked up at him and Megumi quickly shifted her position so that the braid wouldn't be ruined.

"Sorry…" She played around with the dirt under her hands. "I can't believe we were that obvious."

"Saito noticed first and then informed us." Tokio stated with a smile, calming her a little. "And he knows better than to let anyone but us know."

"Oh." Kaoru flushed in embarrassment. It was one thing to be caught and it was another to not be caught but still have everyone know what was happening.

"Yes oh." Megumi murmured. "Now stay sill or your braid will be ruined."

Kaoru followed her instructions as Sano, Chou, Sou, and Mori moved to the clearing by the pond. The pond was really another two minute walk away but years ago her great grandfather had cleared the trees in the area to make way for a clearing that was large (and safe enough) to set up fireworks. She had no idea who had been the one to line the area with bricks but it made for some great fireworks so she could care less.

"Are they starting?" Aya squealed from across the fire pit.

"Yes." Her mother stated adjusting her hold on her daughter. Suzu snuggled into her grandfather, torn between being excited and being frightened by the fireworks to occur. She looked to Kaoru and the expression on her face convinced the young woman to move.

"And where do you think you're going?" Megumi asked as she tied off the braid with the rubber band that had held Kaoru's ponytail earlier.

"Look at Suzu." Kamatari stated noting his cousin's glances at the young girl. "She's practically begging Kaoru to go there with her eyes. Let her." Megumi sighed and pushed Kaoru away. Taking the action to mean what it was, Kaoru made her way to the spot by Sae where Suzume was.

It took the little girl mere moments to clamber into her lap just as the first of the fountains started. Suzume peeked at the fireworks over Kaoru's shoulder. It appeared that the fountains weren't scary but rather interesting to the little girl. She watched as a few more were set off before she yawned. Kaoru looked up at the sky. It wasn't exactly night yet but it was nearing eight thirty and was past the little girls bedtime. Looking over at her cousins she tried to wave one of them over. Kenshin noticed her and made his way towards her.

"What is it?" He asked mindful of the fact that her hands were full of a tired Suzume. Kaoru flushed when she saw him but smiled. She felt calmer now that she had gotten that kiss out of her system. She enjoyed it and she enjoyed the time she spent with the redhead. And he was going to date her. Yes, it was a little embarrassing that all her cousins knew about it, but it wasn't entirely bad.

Kenshin was still waiting for her answer and she spoke softly. "If it's okay, can one of you go tell them to launch a few rockets? I want Suzu to see them before she falls asleep." Kenshin took note of the little girl's slowly drooping face and nodded.

He stood and made his way over to the four by the fireworks who stopped as they saw him arrive. Sano greeted him and when Kenshin explained the situation conveyed his concerns to the others. Once getting a confirmation that the fireworks were to be set off, he came back to sit by Kaoru.

"They should start soon." He whispered. Both of them wanted to bridge the small distance between them but neither was willing to chance the knowing glances and explanations they would have to give if the mamas caught them. Especially since they were sitting so close to them.

When the first rocket exploded in the sky, Suzu squeaked and hid in Kaoru's shoulder. The second had her peeking out at the sky and the third caused her to only wince when it exploded. Her eyes followed the fireworks with her eyes and she let out small, awed gasps as she took in the sight. Soon though, the surprise on her face gave way to yawns and droopy eyes. Catching Sae's attention, Kaoru wondered what to do.

"She'll be fine." Sae answered. "When she sleeps, she's out like a light and there's not a lot that can wake her." Kaoru nodded turning her attention back to the fireworks show.

They were large and bright, lighting up the sky in a way that made her realize what Suzume had seen was just as amazing as what she was seeing now. And watching them with someone special made the moment a little more important. Chancing a glance at Kenshin, she noted him watching her. He smiled softly mouthing something that looked like beautiful and she turned away to hide the blush on her cheeks.

An hour later, as she walked back with her family to the house she had to admit that the night had been kind of nice. Besides having kissed Kenshin and agreeing to date him, she got to spend yet another fun firework filled Fourth of July night with her family and this time, it was more special since Suzu had gotten to experience this for the first time. She caught Tokio's gaze and smiled at her eldest cousin. While it wasn't exactly her ideal weekend, it wasn't as bad as she had expected.

* * *

"Excuse me- does Kaoru Kamiya work here?" Laura looked up from her desk and eyed the man who had just walked in. He was dressed smartly, in a suit, with his long red hair tucked back into a loose ponytail. Considering he didn't look like a student, Laura assumed he was one of the men who Kaoru worked with for internships.

"She does, may I take your name and inform her of your arrival?"

As long as Laura had worked with Kaoru , the young woman had never been visited by any of the people she placed internships with, just students. Just in case, she wanted to warn Kaoru. Who knew if this man was visiting in good standing? She knew that in Kaoru's situation she would appreciate a warning. The redhead spoke and she paid careful attention.

"Of course. My name is Kenshin Himura." Laura nodded, instructing the man to wait and making her way down the hall to Kaoru's room. Knocking once on the door, she waited for Kaoru to give her some form of acknowledgment- in this case a wave of her hand.

"Kaoru," Laura began, "there's someone who's here to visit you." The young woman looked up from her laptop at her coworker a little curious about who might be visiting her right before her lunch hour on a Tuesday.

"Who?" She asked as a ding let her know another e-mail popped up in her inbox. Now that the internships were ending for most of the college students she worked with, her inbox was going to be inundated with e-mails regarding how to get class credit and internship credit.

"It's a man named Kenshin Himura." Laura stated. "Do you know him?"

It took Kaoru mere moments to realize just who Laura was referring to. That name was too rare and she only knew one Kenshin. She didn't want to let him in but part of her was excited to see him. In the week since she had come back she had not been contacted once by the redhead. She had thought they had reached an understanding but apparently they hadn't. She had to leave early Monday morning but had managed to sneak a few kisses in, slip her number into his hand, and kiss him again before she left. Apparently it hadn't been enough.

"Kaoru?" Sighing, Kaoru nodded letting her coworker know that she could bring in Kenshin. Laura hesitated but knew that Kaoru really would have told her no if she didn't want to see the man. Making her way back to the front desk, she addressed the man.

"Kaoru will see you. Her room is down the hall- third door on the right."

Kenshin inclined his head politely. "Thank you miss."

Kaoru decided that she would not make this visit easy on the redhead who had left her confused and angry. In the few minutes that Laura disappeared, Kaoru gathered her thoughts together. She didn't want to look vulnerable, angry, or hurt when he walked in. Instead, she wanted to show him just who she was and what she was capable of. She was angry and wondered just who he thought he was, not contacting her for a week?

It had been agonizing waiting for a phone call that never came and a date that she had resigned herself was not going to happen. Except that, he apparently didn't think so.

Footsteps alerted her to his presence and she glanced at the door just in time to see him come into her small office. He looked different- wearing a suit made him look sharper and more professional compared to when he wore shorts and shirts. She greeted him with a smile and instructed him to take a seat in front of her desk. She was used to being polite and just because this man was an idiot, a jerk, a kiss and disappear for a week kind of guy, didn't mean she wasn't going to be rude.

Still though, Kaoru knew she wasn't going to easily forgive him because she was stubborn and she thought she deserved to be a little rude to him considering what he had done. And by placing the desk in between them and only greeting him she hoped he got that message.

Kenshin took a seat and she moved her gaze back to her laptop opening up a random e-mail and reading it as she waited for him to say something. He was the one who had not called her. He could start with the apologizing first.

"I apologize for not being able to call you." He began correctly guessing where her ire came from.

She narrowed her eyes as she read the e-mail. Aoshi knew (as did most of her family) that the best way to calm her anger was to apologize straight away. But Kenshin didn't know that. She murmured something about meddlesome family members under her breath and waited to see if he was going to say anymore. When he didn't speak, she sighed and glanced in his direction before turning her attention back to the e-mail.

"You have to do a lot more than that before I forgive you." Kenshin grinned and she narrowed her eyes. It really was a shame he looked so good when he did that. And a shame she was thinking about it too.

"I know." The smug tone of voice caught her attention and she turned to glare at him only to realize that he was expecting that reaction. She narrowed her eyes and turned her attention back to her laptop and the long list of e-mails in her inbox.

She would ignore him now just as much as he did the past week. After all it was only fair considering how her week had been.

When Kaoru had returned to the Triangle, she had promised herself that she wouldn't be eager for his phone call and instead made herself wait for the eventual call. Two days had passed, then three, and before she knew it, it was the weekend with no phone call. She could have called him but she didn't have his number and was too angry to even attempt to ask Aoshi for it. When no call had come after the weekend, she had decided that there was no point waiting for someone who wasn't going to care. She had cried a little, and demolished a good half a pint of ice cream, before working out her frustration and anger through exercise.

And now just when she was ready to forget, he showed up.

"I'm sorry." Kaoru listened as she typed a reply to one of the e-mails. She'd wait to see what he said before she made any judgment on her willingness to forgive. "The day I returned, I was informed that the job I had applied for wanted me in the office the following Monday. I decided to wait to contact you until I moved into the area and got settled in because I did not want… anything to interfere with the time I spent with you."

Kaoru made a face at him, not sure whether she should be happy about the fact that he cared or angered at the fact that he couldn't even muster five minutes to call her. She hesitated in typing and turned to look at him. He might not have realized it, but she didn't normally kiss people and especially not in the vicinity of her family. She had felt snubbed, angry, and as she looked at him she realized that she had felt he didn't care.

And she was touched that he had come to her to apologize. Though now that she thought about it, someone must have told him where she worked. She didn't remember offering him that piece of information. She'd just have to check later to see who had spilled the beans. With a sigh, she decided to speak.

"Never do that again." Kaoru stated, her voice harsh.

"I won't." Kenshin promised his eyes softening. "Can I still take you out on that date though? And the second one that you promised?" Kaoru hesitated.

"You're on probation. If you take me to lunch now though, the probation might disappear."

"Of course." Kenshin stood and she saved her e-mail so that she could get back to it later. "Any preferences?"

Kaoru stood as well and grabbed her purse as she thought about it. She could order him to take her someplace expensive but she wasn't that vindictive. She could take him someplace cheap but then it would seem she was not giving him enough credit. Chancing a glance at him again, she bit her lip.

It didn't matter where he took her, the fact that he came back was enough. Walking around her desk, she offered him her hand.

"Take me wherever you want. Just don't ever do that again." Instead of taking her hand in his, he put both of his on her hips and leaned forward to kiss her. Stopping before their lips met, he spoke.

"Okay."

And the third kiss, Kaoru realized, announced the start of a new relationship.

* * *

**A/N: **For some reason, the cabin kiss scene took me forever to write and so long to edit. I still don't like it. Which means, if you do have the time, let me know how I did there.

Thanks for reading and if you do have time, please do drop a review.  
P.S. This is the longest oneshot I've ever written- thirty pages on word. Kind of proud of myself there :)


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